Comatose: The Continuing Adventures of LJ Tibbs
by Tigyr
Summary: As told by Thom E. Gemcity...
1. Prologue

_A/N: Set loosely around season 6 and 7... and the cat is off on another challenge...this time with a partner ^_^ The Double Tag Team it! Challenge offered a chance to work with another author in creating a story based around two particular characters saving someone else who is in trouble. We took it a step further...and so without further ado_:

Comatose: The Continuing Adventures of LJ Tibbs

Prologue:

Dr. Donald Mallard, more commonly known as 'Ducky', sighed as he slowly slid the cold chamber shut.

"I'll see you tomorrow morning dear boy." He stated softly. "Sleep well."

He shuffled over to his desk and slid on his brown trench coat, along with his hat.

Once all the lights were shut off, he slowly made his way towards the elevator. He pressed the 'up' button and awaited its arrival. A few moments later, the doors slid open, 'dinging' as they did.

"Ducky!" Abby exclaimed excitedly. She seemed excited, yet her eyes were tired and her smile was drooping. The worry was evident in her tired features.

"Hello Abigail." Ducky greeted as he stepped on to the elevator with her.

"I was going to the hospital to-"

"No, no, no Abigail." Ducky interrupted her. "You go home and get some rest."

"Well are you going?" She asked as the elevator stopped at the squadroom.

"Maybe for a little while, Dear, but you need your rest." He told her as they stepped out.

He wasn't at all surprised to find Timothy, Tony and Ziva still sitting at their desks, working away.

"You need rest, too, though Duck!" Abby exclaimed, catching the attention of the agents.

"Hey Ducky." Tony greeted quietly, his voice lowered due to the dim atmosphere. (The only lights were coming from the agents' desk lamps)

"Hello Anthony." Said Ducky. "And Ziva, Timothy." He nodded their direction.

"Hi Ducky." Ziva smiled at him.

McGee did nothing but nod as he continued typing away on his computer. Ducky exchanged a worried glance with Tony.

Ever since the horrid tragedy that took place so many months ago, Timothy had been the lead of the MCRT, much to his chagrin. Tony, who had almost indefinitely softened in the past months, and Ziva both had all the faith in the world in him. (As did Ducky, Abby and Palmer) McGee was terrified out of his mind. He was just the Probie! He couldn't lead this team!

"Timothy?"

McGee glanced up from his desk, (having refused to take over Gibbs' desk)

"Yeah?" He replied absentmindedly.

"Are you alright?" Ducky asked, concerned.

"Yeah, I'm fine, Duck." McGee told him. Ducky obviously did not believe McGee's uncertain answer, and walked behind the desk, placing his hand on the young man's shoulder.

"Timothy, maybe you should go home." He offered.

McGee shook his head, "I'm not going anywhere. We have to…To finish this case."

Ducky was about to protest, but stopped when he saw Tony shaking his head.

"Well goodnight all." Ducky waved as he made his way to the elevator. "I'll see you all tomorrow."

###

Ducky sighs as he prepares to enter Room 213B. It hurts more and more when he enters this room. As the days passed into months he'd hoped that they would see some improvement by now. The head injuries that put his friend into the coma have healed; yet the man refuses to wake up.

The nurse on duty smiles at his dedication to the man lying unresponsive on the bed. He shows her the book he's bringing in and she gives a soft exclamation.

"I hadn't realized the newest one was out yet."

"It's not officially. The author is waiting to see what happens in the next few days or months to determine how just how the book will end. I thought that maybe if I started to read to Jethro, it might bring a spark back and make him want to live to see the ending."

"It's a good possibility Ducky. They say that even when you're in a coma you can hear what's going on around you. I'll bring in an easy chair for you and maybe a little table so that you'll be more comfortable." The nurse leaves and Ducky turns his attention to Gibbs.

"Well thank you my dear. Do you hear that Jethro? An easy chair and even a side table for me and a nice little tale for you. Did I tell you that Timothy has written a third book? It's still based around the LJ Tibbs team and I must say, that Anthony and Ziva are quite excited about their roles in it this time around; or perhaps should I call them Agents Tommy and Lisa.

"Abigail and Mr. Palmer have both stated that although they don't like what has happened to Agent Tibbs, they do appreciate the way Timothy's book is treating their characters as well. Personally Jethro, our little writer is growing up if I do say so myself."

The nurse comes back in and Ducky places the book on the bed as he helps her set up the small area so that he can have a comfortable place to read. She then asks if he'd like anything to drink. Smiling, Ducky asks her for his usual and she smiles back at him. After bringing him a cup of his traditional Earl Grey tea, the nurse heads for her station and Ducky then places his glasses and the book on the table.

Glancing at the still figure on the bed, Ducky sighs and allows himself one more touch on Gibbs' wrist, to reassure himself that Gibbs still lives. Wiping his eyes, he clears his throat and takes a sip of tea before sitting down, putting his glasses back on and opening the book.

"Regardless, I think you might enjoy the tale too Jethro. After all LJ Tibbs has quite an impact in this particular story; almost as much as your absence has impacted the team.

"What do I mean? Well, Jethro, not only has Timothy written this book, which he's quite appropriately titled Comatose: The Continuing Adventures of LJ Tibbs; he's been given command of the MCRT."

_A/N: Hmm...yep, that's right as some of you may have guessed, the majority of what is going on or what has happened will be told through Tim's newest book as Ducky reads it to Gibbs...and so now dear reader, we go on to the next chapter..._


	2. Chapter One: The Shots Heard Around the

Ducky cleared his throat as he pulled his chair closer to the bed so that Gibbs could hear him as he read.

_"Comatose: The Continuing Adventures of LJ Tibbs_

_Chapter One: The Shots Heard Around the World_

_It was dark that night, the night that it happened. No one saw a thing, but they heard the sounds. The shot that rang out just as LJ Tibbs left his house and was headed for his pickup. The lead agent of the RCMT managed to duck the first time, but the next one clipped him, brought him to his knees. He fell just as the third and final shot rang out. Tibbs lay there, unable to see due to the blood running into his eyes, but he managed to pull his cell out of his pocket, dial 9-1-1 and gasp out, "Officer down…need help…"_

_For most of Tibbs team the next morning started innocently enough. Former Mossad officer Lisa Davison woke up around five a.m. and went for her traditional morning run before showering and heading in to work. Lisa had become a naturalized citizen just a few months ago and she had also become a probationary field agent for the RCMT._

_Agent Tommy DiNardo managed to sleep in until almost five thirty. He took a shower and slathered on his favorite cologne, then spent ten minutes looking for his keys. Lisa called him to remind him that she was picking him up and he groaned as he remembered that his new car was in the shop for routine maintenance and Lisa had volunteered to pick him up that day on her way in. One thing hadn't changed over the past few years, and that was the way Lisa drove…like Tibbs himself was on her tail._

_Agent Terence McGregor woke up around four o'clock and muttered a small curse as he knew that he wouldn't get back to sleep. He decided to stay awake and get some exercises done before he went into work that morning. He took a long hot shower to remove any last bit of soreness from the past few days and then turned the faucet to cold as a form of waking up; it was then that the churning started._

_McGregor grimaced and wondered briefly if he'd eaten anything bad the night before. He shook his head; it wasn't that kind of churning. The churning was…not enough to make him sick, but it did make him uneasy._

_Not knowing what else to do, McGregor finished his morning preparations and headed into work. He flashed his badge to the guard at the gate and as the headlights of his car swept the garage he realized that Tibbs wasn't there yet. Admittedly it was early even for McGregor, but it was rare that he beat Tibbs to work._

_Then McGregor looked at the clock and shook his head; he was more than two hours early for his shift, no wonder Tibbs wasn't here yet. McGregor smiled and shook his head; he was worried for nothing. And yet…_

_McGregor sighed and placed a Cat-Paw in the refrigerator for Amy. He then turned her computers on and headed back upstairs. He still needed to finish that report for Tibbs and since Tommy wouldn't arrive for another hour and a half McGregor stood a good chance of getting the report done and handed in by the time Tibbs arrived._

_Another hour passed and McGregor jumped every time the elevator opened. He watched as first Pimmy Jalmer, then Daniel "Plucky" Fowler headed for Autopsy. Amy Sutton was the next to arrive and she greeted him with a smile when he told her that he'd put a Cat-Paw in her fridge._

_But there was still no sign of Tibbs. The man was known for his punctuality above all other things. McGregor debated on calling Tibbs but decided not to risk the man's wrath. They'd already had a hellacious week, as they had put not just one or two criminals away but an entire ring of drug dealers._

_McGregor's gut had been churning all morning. Something was wrong; and that something had to do with Tibbs. The man was never late; even when he'd been injured several months ago; he'd still managed to get to work on time. That of course had been due to McGregor who had picked him up each morning. Yet, McGregor knew that something had happened._

_He watched the elevator, and smiled when Lisa Davison and Tommy DiNardo stepped off. But the smile was forced and his gut was still telling him that something was wrong; where was Tibbs? He kept his head down and worked on some cold case files all the while wondering where his boss was and why no one else seemed to notice._

_He placed a call down to Amy Sutton, and without arousing her suspicions too much asked her if she'd seen Tibbs yet that day._

_"Oh, Terry, you know Tibbs, he's probably on a coffee run. Tibbs is only a functional mute on a good day and that's after he's had the required ten cups of coffee."_

_McGregor had laughed with her and agreed, but his gut still churned. He next placed a call down to Autopsy and Pimmy Jalmer told him that he hadn't seen the taciturn agent either._

_"He's probably just getting another coffee, McGregor. You know Tibbs."_

_That was the problem…McGregor did know Tibbs and the man was never late. He might be growly and grouchy and there was the time that he'd taken a vacation to Mexico for almost four months, but he was never late, and especially not by almost an hour._

_A loud ding and the elevator opened to show the darkly handsome face of the director of INCS…Deon Chance. Chance called all the agents into the conference room and then made them wait for Amy, Pimmy and Plucky to arrive before he cleared his throat._

_That's when McGregor knew for certain that Tibbs was in trouble. Deon Chance would never call them all together unless something was wrong. Okay yes the man had almost destroyed the team three years ago, but at that time he'd been on a mole hunt and things had gotten better since then._

_And when Chance next spoke it was Amy that Chance kept his eyes on. Amy, the one person closest to Tibbs with the possible exception of Plucky. McGregor glanced at Chance and the other man nodded as McGregor silently asked for permission to move closer to Plucky. Just as McGregor sat down again, Chance looked around the table and said,_

_"I have grave news. Agent LJ Tibbs was injured in a drive by shooting just outside of his home last night; while we don't have all the information yet, we do know that the neighbors heard at least two if not three shots being fired. Tibbs maintained enough presence of mind to call 9-1-1 for assistance. He was taken to the hospital around four thirty and was still in surgery when I left. So far, we do know that he's suffered a gunshot wound to the leg which will put him out of field work for at least six weeks."_

_Chance took a deep breath before he continued. "Whoever shot Tibbs wanted to kill him as they took a final shot which succeeded in glancing off his pickup truck and penetrated Tibbs skull. The doctors are unsure at this time if Tibbs will survive the surgery. If he does, there is a good possibility that he will never wake up again or if he does, he could be a vegetable."_

_Before anyone could take in what he'd just said, Chance turned to McGregor and dropped the other shoe when he left the room as he said, "You're in command of the RCMT now Agent McGregor. Good luck."_

Ducky closed the book on the prologue and looked over to the bed where Leroy Jethro Gibbs was lying almost as still as death itself. The elderly ME took off his glasses and wiped his eyes before he picked up his almost cold tea with shaking hands. He sipped carefully as he considered the small chapter he'd just read.

To the casual reader, it would be just a prologue to a new book; to Ducky it was an insight into not just his friend, but the author as well. Thom E. Gemcity hadn't had to do any research for that particular chapter; he'd already lived it; as special agent Timothy McGee.

Ducky smiled sadly as he remembered the night before and how pale Timothy had looked. That particular young man hadn't expected to become a team leader for several more years and for reasons known only to Leon Vance, had become not just a team lead, but leader of the nation's top MCRT. While it would be an intimidating position to most, it had to be particularly daunting to Timothy who had expected to follow not so much in Gibbs footsteps, but in Anthony DiNozzo's.

_A/N: We have a lot of instant messaging and emails going out between Nebraska and Kentucky. I have a great conspirator with this story and we're actually writing every other chapter individually before it gets submitted. We talked a great deal about putting the story onto both sites and decided that our fans deserved to read what we have been writing. We collaborated on the prologue and some chapters will be written by yours truly (Tigyr) while the others are being written by McSpecialAgent Tim-Spence Reid. Please be kind in reviewing as this is a first time thing for the both of us when it comes to a collaboration. _


	3. Chapter 2 That's Good Enough For Me

"Hello Dr. Mallard."

Ducky smiled at the nurse's greeting, the sheaf of paper that was Timothy's book in his hand.

"Hello there, Dear Girl." He said softly. "How is he this evening?"

"The same." She grinned sorrowfully. "We saw if a very slight change on his EEG, but nothing too substantial."

Ducky gave his own grin and entered Jethro's room.

"Hello Jethro." He greeted, trying hard to stay sounding hopeful. "Everyone is missing you at NCIS."  
_  
Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep.  
Whiiiir.  
Ding. Ding.  
Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep.  
_

The hospital noises, however annoying and ominous, reminded Ducky that his friend was still alive. Still breathing.

Ducky sat in his chair and slipped his reading glasses on.

"Ready for chapter two?" He asked, turning the pages to the second chapter.

_"Chapter Two: That's Good Enough For Me_

_McGregor has had a lot thrown at him before. He's dealt with many hardships in not just his life as an INCS agent, but his entire life as a person. But now…Now, he was terrified. Not only for his boss and friend lying comatose in a hospital room, but for himself. How was he supposed to lead RCMT? Why couldn't Chance have assigned Tommy, or even Lisa? He wasn't ready for it, which was evident in his frayed composure in the workplace. Tommy took notice of this, and tried everything in his nature to make the load if even a little lighter._

_"I got your back, Ter." He'd said._

_The first case was, you could say, difficult._

_"Okay we have a dead Sailor found in a dumpster down on 3rd Street." McGregor announced as he entered the bullpen._

_"Gear u-" McGregor interrupted himself before he could finish. That's what their boss said, not him._

_"Uhm, get your gear." He finished. Tommy and Lisa exchanged a glance before grabbing their backpacks and following Terence to the elevator._

_"So what do we have on him?" She asked when the elevator doors shut._

_"Not much." Terence answered. "He's in his uniform and wearing dog tags."_

_"Did the local cops run the name?" Tommy asked as they stepped off._

_"I would think so, but they didn't give me anything more than a name." Terence answered. "Chief Officer Jared Holland."_

_They reached the crime scene and approached the yellow tape._

_"INCS, Special Agents McGregor, DiNardo and Davison." McGregor showed the policeman his badge._

_"Oh, uhm, yeah the body's over here." The cop motioned to the dumpster. They pulled the tape up and walked under, making their way to the corpse._

_"We're going to have our own Medical Examiner perform the autopsy." McGregor told the policeman._

_"I don't think that would be a prob-"_

_The policeman was cut off by another one walking up. He was obviously the police chief; big and burly just and plain mean._

_"I get it, he's a sailor, but the local ME will perform the autopsy." He demanded. "We were first responders, and it's only fair.." He grinned sarcastically, showing his yellowed teeth._

_"No offense, but it's 'only fair' that an INCS ME performs the autopsy on a murdered Sailor." McGregor replied, stepping towards the chief._

_"Where's your..Supervisor? Or leader, or whatever." The chief asked. "Let me talk to him."_

_For a split second, McGregor wanted to look around for Tibbs._

_"You're looking at him." He replied, folding his arms across his chest. "This is officially an INCS case, now step aside and let my ME handle this," he motioned toward Pimmy and Plucky, who had just arrived, "or I'll arrest you for obstruction of justice and tampering with evidence."_

_His outburst surprised McGregor himself. He wasn't the 'tough guy' type, he was a computer nerd! The chief eyed Terence a moment before stepping back, allowing Plucky and Pimmy access._

_"Pluck, looks like he was shot." Tommy informed him._

_"I see that, Thomas." Plucky replied, sitting his bag down and kneeling next to the body._

_"Mr. Jalmer, what would you say cause of death would be?"_

_"Oh uhm, I wouldn't be sure until we get him back-"_

_"Just a preliminary educated guess, Mr. Jalmer." Plucky interrupted._

_"He has a GSW to his chest, but given the lack of blood I would say this gunshot was delivered shortly before his death," Pimmy speculated, "possibly even post-mortem."_

_"So what did kill him?" Plucky asked Pimmy, looking up at him._

_Pimmy knelt on the other side of the body, "possibly a drug overdose?" He more asked then stated. "These numerous needle tracks on his arms support that theory, yet do you think we should speculate before getting him back to autopsy?"_

_Tommy's, Terence's and Lisa's eyebrows all raised at the question directed at the soft-spoken M.E._

_"I suppose you're right Mr. Jalmer." Plucky replied, sticking the liver probe into the body. Pimmy suddenly stopped moving and leaned down towards the body more._

_"Mr. Jalmer, what are you doing?" Plucky asked curiously._

_"Do you…Do you smell that?" He asked, looking up at the curious and confused M.E and agents._

_"It smells almost…Fruity." Pimmy mumbled. He slowly lifted one side of the body up, pulling the shirt up to expose the skin of the lower left back._

_"I knew it." Pimmy motioned for the others to look at his back where a small, white device was attached._

_"Now, I can't be certain, but I'd say Holland here died of lack of insulin; diabetes."_

_Terence, Lisa and Tommy were, as usual, working away, trying to find everything they could on Jared Holland._

_"Bo-McGregor?" Tommy stated, rising from his desk. "I uh, have Holland's medical records."_

_"And?" McGregor replied, disregarding his slip of the tongue._

_"He did have diabetes. Type 1. Had it since he was thirteen."_

_Terence nodded, honestly unsure of what to do or say next. Luckily, he was spared the task as Plucky approached the bullpen._

_"Mr. Jalmer was correct." He informed them, handing McGregor a file. "Officer Holland went many days without sufficient insulin, causing his death."_

_"Thank you, Pluck." Terence opened the file. To everyone else it seemed that he was reading it, but in all actuality he was holding down his lunch._

_He had no idea how to do this. Why did Chance pick him? It made absolutely no sense to Terence._

_"Are you alright, Terence?" Plucky asked, concerned. Terence gulped down the lump that had worked its way up his throat._

_"Yeah, I'm fine." He mumbled. "Thanks."_

_Terence carefully set the folder down on his desk, and smiled at Plucky._

_"Really, I'm fine." He said, the smile on his face getting harder and harder to force. The last thing he needed was Dr. Fowler on his case about anything._

_"Alright then." He conceded. "Back down to autopsy it is, then. Let me know if I'm needed."_

_They all nodded their goodbyes as he left, leaving Tommy, Lisa and McGregor alone once again. Tommy and Lisa returned to their seats, yet McGregor stayed standing up in front of his desk._

_"Ter, you alright?" Tommy asked with honesty curiosity and worry._

_"Y-yeah, I just have to go to the bathroom." McGregor informed him._

_With that, he hurried towards the bathroom, not seeing the worried glance exchanged between Lisa and Tommy. McGregor entered the bathroom, thankful to find it empty. He went to the sinks, resting his hands carefully on the edge of the counter before looking up into the mirror._

_His face was pale and he had dark circles under his eyes. A cold sweat had worked its way to his brow, and he could feel the nausea returning._

_He turned the faucet on cold, leaning down to splash some of the water in his face. While doing so, he didn't hear the door open, then close near silently. Tommy watched the young agent, feeling helpless to his 'little brother'._

_McGregor, with water dripping from his face, looked back up in the mirror, seeing Tommy in the reflection._

_"Come to make fun of me?" He mumbled, leaning on his hands again._

_"No." Tommy stated bluntly._

_"Really?" McGregor scoffed. "How refreshingly out of character."_

_Tommy refrained from saying anything, afraid if he did, he'd regret it. Instead, he walked up next to McGregor, silently handing him some paper towels._

_"I'm not you, Tommy." McGregor said softly after wiping his face dry. "I'm not you, and I'm not Tibbs. I can't do this. What am I supposed to do?"_

_Tommy contemplated his words,_

_"I'm not going to tell you that you can." He said after a moment. "Because you can't…Not the way Tibbs did. No one can lead this team the way Tibbs did."_

_"Does, Tommy." McGregor corrected. "The way Tibbs does. He may be comatose, but he's not dead."_

_Tommy resisted the urge to say, 'not yet' as his negativity toward the situation grew._

_"While you can't lead this team as Tibbs does or once did," Tommy told him, "you can lead this team as McGregor. And that's good enough for me."_

###

Ducky set the book down, watching Gibbs. How he wished his dear friend would awake from this dreadful sleep. He rose from his easy chair slowly, his old bones creaking as he did.

"Well Jethro, I shall be by tomorrow evening." Ducky said softly, gathering his jacket and hat.

"I do wish you'd open your eyes, though."

_A/N: For the inquiring minds...my partner McSpecialAgent Tim-Spence Reid wrote this chapter while I wrote the previous one_


	4. Chapter 3: The Darkness Within

Comatose: The Continuing Adventures of LJ Tibbs

Ducky sighs as he looks down into the familiar features. He brushes a few stray strands of hair out of Jethro's eyes and out of habit takes the other man's pulse. Oh the machines can beep and whir, but the human connection…that's what Jethro needs; Ducky's almost certain of it.

The nurse stops in, and as per usual has a cup of tea waiting for him. Ducky thanks her as he settles into his chair and takes a sip of tea before focusing on the man in front of him. He sets his cup to one side and picks up the binder that Tim had given him before leaving.

"He's settling in Jethro, just as you once did. It hasn't been an easy road though as our next chapter shall prove."

Chapter 3: The Darkness Within

_Voices surround him, some familiar and dear, others not so much. He tries in vain to open his eyes but can't. What is wrong? Why can't he wake up? What happened? He can hear someone saying something; but the voice it's so far away, like he's in a tunnel or they are. He remembers being in tunnels, when he was young and still a carefree child. This isn't the same; this is more like…why can't he remember? Whose voice is talking to him trying to bring him out of the tunnel? _

McGregor sat bolt upright in bed and silently screamed out his boss's name. He panted as he opened his eyes and wondered just who he could call at this hour in the morning. Tommy? Lisa? Plucky?

The one person he wanted to call was unavailable to him. Tibbs was still lying in a coma, and it was uncertain whether the man would live. Admittedly it had only been two weeks, but the last time Tibbs had been in a coma he'd come out of it within days. The man had disappeared shortly thereafter but at least he'd come back again.

McGregor wept as the uncertainty swept over him. Two weeks and no Tibbs, yet Tommy and Lisa had rallied around him like the well trained team they were. Tommy had even offered advice from the time that Tommy had been in command of team Tibbs. McGregor wiped his eyes and swallowed his pride as he dialed the one person who might actually know the fear he was feeling.

"Hello?"

"Tommy?"

Any trace of sleepiness was immediately gone from Tommy's voice as he answered McGregor's wavering one.

"Hey Ter…you need me to come over and chat?"

"I'm—I'm…" McGregor couldn't continue and Tommy threw on yesterday's clothes and picked up his keys as he listened to the silence on the other end of the phone. The senior agent drove fast, not as fast as Tibbs could have and would have, but fast enough as he drove through the dark towards McGregor's apartment

"Ter—McGregor! Don't hang up on me! Are you listening to me?"

"Yeah, Tommy…"

"Good…now go and unlock your door and tell McGrowly that it's okay for me to come in, I'll be there in fifteen."

McGregor complied and soon Tommy's knock was followed by Tommy himself as he let himself into the apartment. Tommy gave a silent whistle of approval as he looked around the new living quarters that McGregor now occupied with his furry companion Butch. Shortly before Sunny Jeppard had passed away, Amy had forced McGregor to accept the animal that had mauled his arm and neck.

McGregor still had a few nightmares about that time period but those were nothing compared to the ones he suffered now. He just couldn't understand why Director Chance had made him team leader and not Tommy; Tommy who had previous experience leading the team…this same team…yet, Chance had passed over the Italian and given the reins to McGregor.

McGregor sighed and blushed as he realized that Tommy had arrived and he hadn't even been aware of the other man's presence. Tommy pretended that he hadn't seen his partner crying as he continued his perusal of McGregor's apartment.

"Tommy, thanks for coming over. I just…" McGregor sighed as he sat down on the couch. Tommy came over and said nothing; just sat down and waited for McGregor to get his thoughts together.

"How did you do it Tommy? How did you get through four months of being the lead?"

Tommy was uncharacteristically quiet for almost two whole minutes and McGregor wondered if the other man had gone back to sleep when Tommy finally replied.

"I knew that you had my six Ter. You, Lisa, Amy even Plucky and Pimmy; I knew that I could count on you to back me up and follow my lead. You'll never know how much I hated Tibbs for doing that…well, you might have some idea now."

McGregor sighed, "I feel like Chance threw me to the wolves and said fight or die."

"It's scary at the top Ter. I admit it; I about shit my pants when Tibbs told me that the team was mine. All I could do was stare at him. I was horrified that no one would follow or even want to follow my orders."

McGregor just stared at him; those feelings that Tommy had just admitted to were duplicates to what McGregor was feeling. Tommy stared at his hands as he continued.

"The nights were the worst though. I think I woke up a thousand times those first few weeks feeling like I was in a cave or drowning in the darkness. I've never felt that helpless; not even when I had the plague. At least then I knew that you and Tibbs, Amy and Plucky and Peyton were doing everything possible to find either a cure or a way to make someone pay for what had happened. Tibbs declaring that I wasn't allowed to die. Peyton just being in the same room when she wasn't affected by the plague yet she pretended to be."

McGregor swallowed hard and he closed his eyes. He'd never made it to the hospital when Tommy had been infected. It wasn't that he hadn't wanted to go; but Tibbs had made it clear that McGregor's place was at the computer terminals finding out who had sent the letter that had almost claimed Tommy's life.

Tommy sighed and rolled his head to relax his shoulders. Trips like this down memory lane were hard on the senior agent but he needed to make sure that McGregor knew where he was coming from. More importantly that he knew Tommy would have McGregor's six.

McGregor's voice broke into Tommy's thoughts.

"And then Peyton died. I think I did too in a way."

"We all did that day kid; Tibbs included."

Before Tommy could continue McGregor lurched to his feet and stumbled into the bathroom. Tommy sighed and followed; he knew that McGregor's stomach had rebelled as they both remembered that day.

Tommy still had nightmares about Peyton laughing about dying before hearing Tibbs say Tommy had been right about something. And then she was dead, and Tommy was covered in Peyton's blood.

The senior agent held his hand to his mouth as he calmed his own stomach. He didn't need to add his own vomit to McGregor's and make the situation worse. He swallowed several times, holding the bile at bay. When next Tommy looked up, McGregor was holding a bottle of water out to him. Tommy took it gratefully and the two men spent the rest of the night in quiet conversation.

That night was a turning point for both men as they shared their experiences not just as INCS agents but as students and then young men in college. Tommy told McGregor about playing football and almost making the big leagues; McGregor told Tommy about winning several wrestling championships.

They talked about how Tibbs had recruited an almost jaded Baltimore detective to join his team and how excited McGregor had been when he'd learned that he'd been promoted to Tibbs team.

"It was all I wanted while I was in LEFTC; to be part of Tibbs' team. I was, I still am proud to be part of team Tibbs."

"Then that's what we have to do now Ter; make Tibbs proud enough to want to come back to our team. You've said it since he got shot; he'll make it through. He'll come back to us. Let's do this…you, me and Lisa we'll keep his spot open and he'll come back. You tell us what we need to do to keep the case open, not to mention current and we'll back you one hundred percent."

Hope started to bloom in McGregor's chest. If Tommy had this much faith in him then surely he could do the same. They started outlining their plan of attack that same night and when dawn broke they called Lisa and filled her in. The newest "probie" agreed to their ideas and team McGregor was born three hours later when they informed Plucky, Pimmy and Amy that Tibbs might be comatose but the rest of the team wasn't. They would find out who did this to their friend and comrade and they wouldn't rest until it was over.

###

Ducky looks thoughtfully at the man on the bed. "What is going on in your mind Jethro? Why won't you wake up and let those young people find some relief in your waking?"

Not expecting an answer, at least not that night, Ducky sighs as he slips his glasses into their case, picks up the notebook and his coat and leaves the room. He doesn't see the slight fluttering of the eyelids; the nurses down the hall never notice the small blip on the EEG that comes and just as quickly disappears.

_He doesn't want to know; he doesn't want to find out. If he does he might actually lose his soul this time. Better for now to hide in the inky blackness that surrounds him; away from the light, away from the pain…away from the darkness within. _


	5. Chapter 4: Superman

"Why hello again, Dr. Mallard." The nurse greeted him warmly. "So nice to see you again."

Ducky nodded his hello, too tired to speak at the moment.

"I'll go find you some tea." She smiled.

Ducky only nodded again and settled in his easy chair.

"Why hello Jethro." He said softly. "I heard they bathed you today, you must feel a lot more comfortable now that you're cleansed. I'm terribly sorry I haven't been around in the past couple of weeks, as we've had quite a time-consuming case at work."

Ducky pulled the still unfinished book out, along with his reading glasses.

"Next chapter, Jethro." He continued. "I think you'll find this one quite exciting. Timothy is a superb writer, if I do say so myself."

Chapter Four: Superman

Tommy and McGregor figured that taking down the perp on their current case would be easy. He kidnapped a sailor, sure, but it was a female sailor. A 5'1, 110 lbs sailor. And Plucky, also being a psychologist for the RCMT, profiled the kidnapper as 'timid and uncertain of himself; this was most certainly his first offense.'

"However, it is possible that he has quite a bit of anger underneath the surface." Plucky had warned them."So tread carefully."

So they did.

But, overly-cocky Tommy and now somewhat confident McGregor still blew the take-down off, mentally claiming it as 'easy'. Boy were they wrong.

"Why did I let you drive?" McGregor complained from the passenger's seat of the sedan that he was in with Tommy.

"At least I'm not driving like Lisa!" Tommy shot back.

"No one drives like Lisa." McGregor returned. "Except Tibbs."

The name hung in the air, allowing for some quiet before they reached the kidnapper's dwelling. The sailor who'd been kidnapped had escaped and come to NCIS, telling them of her time with the kidnapper and telling all about him, which lead them here.

"You take the front, I'll take the back." McGregor told Tommy, who nodded as he drew his positioned himself outside the back door, his gun in front of him, once he made his way there.

"Andrew Hollings!" He heard Tommy yell from the front. "Federal agent! Open up!"

Of course, he didn't just 'open up'. McGregor heard the front door get kicked in and, taking it as his cue, he tried to back door and found it opened it quietly and swiftly walked in, looking around.

He was looking around the kitchen and small hallway that more then likely lead to a bedroom or two, when he heard a noise that made his blood run cold. A gunshot. A gunshot that was quickly followed by two more. McGregor was the caught off guard by a large man running towards him, top-speed.

"Freeze!" McGregor yelled, raising his gun at the man's head. "Put down your weapon!"

The man slowly started to put the gun down, letting it hit the floor.

"Kick it over to me!" McGregor ordered.

The man did as he was told, but suddenly he lunged at McGregor, surprising him. But, McGregor was trained for this. He'd been a field agent for nearly 8 years and he wasn't about to let some meek, first-time offender take him down. They wrestled and roughed each other up for a few minutes, and before Hollings knew what happened, McGregor had him handcuffed and had kicked away his gun, panting from the fight that had just taken place.

"Tommy!" He called out, going timidly toward the area where the gunshot had sounded. McGregor found Tommy sitting against the wall in the living room, just inside the front door, gripping his upper left arm with his right hand. He was breathing through his teeth, his head leaning against the wall.

"Tommy!" McGregor repeated, rushing to his colleague's side.

"I'm fine, McWorry." Tommy stated feebly. McGregor almost laughed at his friend's weak attempt at making the situation lighthearted. In all honesty, it wasn't too bad. Tommy had gotten clipped in the arm, the excess blood making it look way worse then it was.

"Tommy, oh God, oh God, oh God..." McGregor ranted.

"McFreakout, calm down!" Tommy exclaimed. McGregor stopped and stared at Tommy.

"Are you okay?" He asked after a few deep breaths.

"I'd be better if you called an ambulance." Tommy replied.

"Oh, right!" McGregor took his cell phone out, first dialing 911.

"Yes, I need an ambulance to 273 McLean RD Shiloh, Virginia." He stated. "Federal agent has been shot in the arm, he is conscious."

After promise of an ambulance, McGregor hung up and dialed Lisa's number.

"Lisa, Tommy's been shot." He told her. "An ambulance is on the way, they'll probably take us to George Washington Med center."

"Alright, is there anything you need?" She asked.

"Yeah," McGregor answered, "back up to come get this creep."

**Two Weeks Later****  
**  
"The bullet came from a Wrangler P90 Sniper Rifle."

"Could you trace the exact gun?"

"I'm amazing, Terry, but not that amazing."

"I thought you were that amazing, Amy."

McGregor and Amy were standing in her decked out lab where Amy was testing the bullets and shell casings that had been shot at their fearless leader.

"Okay, I am that amazing...In most cases. But not here." She conceded.

"Why?" He asked, rubbing his temples.

"It looks as though our gunman sanded the serial numbers off his bullets." Amy told him. "He most definitely did not want anyone to trace the gun."

"So there's no way to trace it? At all?" McGregor asked, disappointed.

"I'm sorry." Amy frowned. "But! I did get something from the tire tracks outside Tibbs' house. They are a perfect match for factory tires on a 2004 Chevy Tahoe."

"Is that all?"

Amy frowned at McGregor's negative question.

"Terry, there's not much to go on..." She answered.

"I know, I know, I'm sorry Amy." He sighed. "But..We've been so busy with other cases and this is the first time we've really been able to start in on Tibbs' and I..I can't..."

Amy wrapped McGregor in a hug, laying her head on his shoulder.

"I know, Terry. We're all frazzled." She said softly. McGregor protectively put his arms around her, rubbing her back.

"We've got to catch this man, Amy." He told her. She exhaled sharply before pulling away.

"I do every test I can think of and even some I can't think of to try and find more about these bullets." She announced, turning back to her table. "I promise."

McGregor grinned.

"Call me when you have something."

"Will do, Terry!" She turned and saluted grinned and shook his head and made his way back to the elevator. He made it to the bullpen and headed to his desk, giving Tommy a sideways glance as he did. He was re-dressing the wound on his arm, which had thankfully started healing quickly.

He started out wearing dressing all the way around his upper arm, along with a sling, and now only had a large gauze pad where the bullet had grazed. McGregor felt overwhelmingly guilty for what had happened, even though it was not his fault in the slightest.

Tommy pretended not to notice Mcgregor's guilt-laden expression, making a mental note to talk to him about it later.A couple of hours later, after Amy had already gone home, Lisa approached McGregor's desk.

"Terence, if you don't mind, I am going to go home." She told him.

"Alright, see ya, Lisa." He replied, not looking up from his computer screen.

She nodded and turned to leave, shooting Tommy a glance as she headed to the elevators. Tommy rose from his desk and walked over to McGregor's, perching on the edge of it.

"Hey, Ter." He stated softly.

"Tommy." He replied, equally as quiet.

"You know...This wasn't your fault." Tommy told him, motioning to his arm. McGregor looked up at him.

"I know."

"But you still feel guilty."

McGregor leaned back in his seat, sighing.

"I just feel...Overwhelmed. I'm trying to fix everything, and it's so hard." McGregor confided.

"You're not Superman, Ter. It's not going to be easy, not in the slightest." Tommy told him. "But we're gonna do this. We're gonna find the guy who did this, and he's gonna pay."

_'It may sound absurd, but don't be naive, even heroes have the right to bleed, __  
__it may sound absurd, but won't you concede, even heroes have the right to dream, and it's not easy, to be me.'__  
_

"Wasn't that wonderful, Jethro?" Ducky closed the book and set it gently on the table. "As you can see, Anthony and Timothy have grown substantially closer."

Ducky slowly stood and walked to his friend's bedside, placing his fingers on his wrist to feel the steady pulse.

"Jethro, whatever is keeping you inside there, I do hope it passes." He continued. "Whatever it is, it can be resolved out here, if you could only wake up."

_I'm not trying to stay in here, Duck But what am I supposed to do? She didn't do it. Diane didn't do it, and everyone thinks she did. Tobias is in trouble, Duck. Why can't I just tell you! Why is it so hard to get over it? If only you could hear me. It wasn't Diane. Tobias is in trouble. It's Joanne. Get Joanne._


	6. Chapter 5: The Turning Point

Jimmy Palmer smiles as he exits the elevator and walks towards 213B. He lets the nurse on duty, Joan know that he's there before heading down the hallway. The nurse follows him down the hall, temporarily blocking his path as he prepares to enter.

"Why are you here?"

"Oh, I'm sorry. Normally my boss, Dr. Mallard, would be here to read to our friend Agent Gibbs, but he had to finish up something with our team leader before he could make it in tonight. He should be here in the next hour or so. He just said that he always checks in with the night nurse before he starts reading. I'm at a standstill on my thesis so I told him I'd read to Agent Gibbs until he could get here and then finish up my other work."

If the nurse's eyes flash with anger at the name Gibbs, or a slight panic at the name Mallard, Jimmy Palmer doesn't see it; he's too busy juggling his thesis paperwork along with the notebook that Ducky Mallard normally reads out of. Instead he continues on down the hallway and into the still comatose agent's room.

"Hey there Agent Gibbs, Dr. Mallard's going to be a bit late tonight but he wanted to make sure that you knew he's still on his way. We had a bit of a break through in your case and the team is following up on it."

Jimmy puts his thesis down first and then turns to the man on the bed. Thanks to his new found degree in medicine he can tell that Gibbs is still responding well to treatments, but there is still no new changes in his EEG or anything to indicate why the oldest member of the MCRT hasn't regained consciousness yet.

"I wanted to tell you that Agent Fornell and your ex-wife have been cleared of all charges. Dr. Mallard said to tell you that before I start on the story. Tim and the others found the evidence proving their innocence."

**Chapter 5 - The Turning Point.**

Terence McGregor could tell that the evidence just wasn't adding up right. He didn't know why, he couldn't begin to tell anyone how, he just knew that Conal F Lorebits was innocent and so was Dana; the infamous ex-wife of both Lorebits and L.J. Tibbs.

He couldn't keep pressuring Amy either. It wasn't fair to the forensic scientist or the rest of his team. No this was something that McGregor could do. So he started at the one place he should have in the first place; Tibbs house and the original crime scene.

On his way there he places three phone calls letting Tommy and Lisa as well as Plucky know what he's doing. Tommy and Lisa immediately head out to join him and Plucky calls out to Pimmy to fuel up the truck.

Pimmy stares at the M.E. for a moment before following order and Plucky sighs as he finally enters the INCS truck and waits for the inevitable questions.

"Plucky? Why are we coming here?"

"Well, if I'm right Mr. Jalmer, our esteemed friend Agent McGregor has found a clue."

"Dr. Fowler? I-I don't mean to be rude or anything but why haven't any of us been out here? I mean, it's Agent Tibbs. I would have expected that we'd have been out here months ago."

"And if we hadn't had an extreme amount of cases thrown at us all at once, I'm sure that we would have been here immediately. As it was—,"

"They tried to throw McGregor under the bus but he managed to take the caseload and overcome it. He's built the team again, and now they can investigate the crime like they would have if they hadn't been steamrollered into other cases."

"Precisely Mr. Jalmer. Now then, shall we go see if there is anything that we can do to assist or shall we stay here in the motor pool?"

"Do we have a body to retrieve Plucky?"

"Not necessarily a human one, if you catch my drift." Plucky is referring to Pimmy's veterinarian skills.

"Ahh…"

"Indeed Mr. Jalmer, shall we proceed then?"

"Aye, Plucky, we shall."

When the two M.E.'s arrive they find the RCMT already there. McGregor is in Tibbs house, while Lisa is taking photographs and Tommy is out talking to the neighbors getting their input on what happened the night in question.

One neighbor arrived home just after it happened and ran over to assist the fallen agent. He immediately picked up the agent's phone and spoke into it, telling the operator what he'd happened upon. Then the neighbor started applying pressure to Tibbs wounds in desperate attempt to save Tibbs' life.

Then the ambulance had come and taken Tibbs away. The neighbor in question looks at Tommy and bluntly asks him why it has taken so long for INCS to investigate.

"We knew that the local law would be here; we just figured that you guys would have been out here first."

Tommy says nothing as he knows that part of the reason is the shock they'd all had upon hearing about Tibbs. The other was McGregor getting command of the team and then the caseload thrust upon them immediately afterwards.

"The fault is mine sir. We—I'm the one who should have had a team out investigating and I dropped the ball. It won't happen again."

Tommy stops and stares at his friend, his teammate and now his leader. This is a new side of McGregor that Tommy hasn't seen before. pride flows through the senior agent as he watches the team leader settle into his role and talk to the neighbor, getting all the information he can before turning back to Tommy who busies himself sketching the area. The neighbor does one more thing before heading back inside the house; he hands McGregor a Ziploc baggie full of grass clippings.

"The local officers never came back after taking our statements. I knew that Tibbs would either come back or send one of you guys. I used to be an MP; I made sure to wear gloves and kept it in a cool place but not frozen."

McGregor thanks him and takes the baggie, then bags and tags it for evidence. Tommy stares at McGregor as they finish their investigation.

"What is it Tommy?"

"I just wanted to say how glad I am to be on your team. Not to mention how proud I am and how proud Tibbs will be. None of the rest of us thought to come back here, Ter. Not once in the past six months did I even think of coming back here and checking for evidence."

"Yes, good job Terence."

"Dr. Fowler? We found something else as well."

Pimmy had asked the neighbors if any animals had died the night of the shooting. While no one remembered an animal dying on that particular night, there had been several small animals that had died in subsequent weeks.

"You might want to go ask Dr. Lamont if she still has any of them. She was a bit suspicious that we'd lost so many pets within such a short time period. She never did tell us if anything came of it though."

Jimmy looks up just as Ducky comes through the door. He smiles broadly at the M.E. and tells him that he'd just gotten to the part about the neighbors telling Pimmy about the veterinarian.

"Ahh, excellent Jimmy and Jethro, I do apologize but as I'm sure Mr. Palmer has said, we had a significant breakthrough in your case. Well, that and I ran across someone when I was entering the hospital tonight."

Just then the night nurse enters, and apologizes to Ducky for not being there when he arrived.

"Oh but I just arrived my dear. I do believe that Jimmy here talked to one of your contemporaries but he's been taking care of Jethro's reading until now."

"That must be the new day nurse. She was a bit put out, but I had a flat tire and couldn't get anyone to come fix it this late naturally. Thankfully my husband works an alternate shift and drove me here as soon as he got home. I'll go fetch your tea while you all catch up."

The nurse leaves and Jimmy stares after her. Ducky gives him a smack on the head and Jimmy smiles.

"Nice lady."

"Mmm…always with a cup of tea ready too."

Just then a voice growls from the doorway, "Damn, Probie, what'd you do to yourself this time?"


	7. Chapter 6: Autopsy Gremlins Discovery

_A/N: this chapter will not have the book's characters brought in._

"Ah, Mr. Franks, hello!" Ducky greeted with as much cheer as he could muster, sticking his hand out. "How are you, dear fellow?"

"Not too well, considerin' I just found out my Probie's been laid up." He replied, turning to Gibbs in the bed after shaking Ducky's hand.

"You are only just now hearing of this?" Ducky questioned as he too turned towards Gibbs, yet still looked at Franks as he talked.

"I was in Quebec, working on assignments." Franks replied, absentmindedly rubbing the nub where his trigger finger used to be.

"Assignments from whom, Mr. Franks?" Ducky asked, noting the sly grin that was spreading across Mike's face.

"Assignments." He stated firmly. "Anyway, I got back and when I went to Jethro's, there was crime scene tape. When I noticed the blood stain on the garage floor, I deduced what had happened."

"Ah, well that must have been quite a way to discover it, hm?" Ducky asked him, reclaiming his seat as Mike took the hard, straight-backed chair on the other side of the bed.

"Yeah, sure was." He replied. He then turned to Jimmy, as if just realizing he was in the room.

"What are you?"

"Oh, um, I, see sir, I'm.." Jimmy gulped. "I'm Jimmy Palmer...Doctor Mallard's assistant?"

Ducky smiled, "easy, Mr. Palmer. He won't bite."

"Right, Doctor Mallard." Jimmy nodded, but Franks and Ducky had already started talking again.

Jimmy tuned them out and turned to Gibbs. He'd long since been able to differentiate this Gibbs from the other Gibbs. From the real Gibbs.

That being said, it hardly fazed him to look at him now. He just saw a body, much like the bodies he sees in Autopsy.

He dismissed his thoughts and turned to the EEG. It read 11 alpha frequencies, which was normal for a comatose patient. He sighed and looked back down at Gibbs.

"Everyone would be really happy if you could wake up..." Jimmy whispered to him. "...Sir."

"Ah, well yes Mr. Franks."

Jimmy turned back around to Ducky and Franks. They were shaking hands as Ducky spoke. "I suppose I will see you soon, then."

"Sure will." Franks nodded and left the room.

"Oh, Jethro, wasn't that a pleasant surprise?" Ducky turned to Gibbs and rested his hands on the bed railings. "Mr. Franks came to visit. Though it was terribly awful how he found out about your injury."

The IV machine made a slight beep, alerting Jimmy and Ducky to it.

"Ah, it delivered his medication." Jimmy said softly, and Ducky nodded.

"That it did, Mr. Palmer." Ducky sighed and settled back into his easy chair. Jimmy looked over at the EEG machine, and saw that it now read 12 alpha frequencies, which was still normal. ('Normal' for a comatose patient is anywhere between 8 and 12 alpha frequencies) But what struck him as odd was the 3 delta frequencies. That was not normal in a comatose patient.

"Doctor Mallard?" He asked, turning around. But he stopped when he saw that Ducky was lying in the chair, his head resting on his hand, asleep. Jimmy carefully removed the good doctor's glasses and set them on the table.

"Goodnight, Dr. Mallard." Jimmy said softly. He then nodded at Gibbs. "Agent Gibbs."

Where was he to go with this? Surely, the nurses and doctors would just put it off as stress over a friend, but Jimmy knew better.

So where to go with this...Anomaly?

The head of Team McGee, of course.

Tim looks up at the knocking on his apartment door. He and Tony have been gathering on a nightly basis, going over notes and seeing if there is anything in the reports that might tell them who wants Gibbs dead. Tony stares at him, "You expecting anyone tonight Tim?"

"Not that I'm aware of. Go ahead and let them in Tony."

Jimmy stares at Tony when the older man opens the door. Jimmy's not sure if he should come in and tell them of his suspicions when Tim says, "What's going on Jimmy? I thought that you were the one watching Gibbs tonight."

"I did until Dr. Mallard and Agent Franks showed up. Dr. Mallard is still there; I think Franks was heading somewhere, but I really don't know where he was going."

Tim and Tony exchange hidden smiles. Both men remember when Tim used to speak that fast. Tim stands up and ushers Jimmy into the room.

Tim then offers Jimmy a cup of coffee and the autopsy assistant accepts it gratefully. He inhales the aroma before taking his first sip. While it's strong, it's nowhere near the rotgut that Gibbs used to drink and that brings Jimmy's attention back to the two agents.

"I think that Agent Gibbs is being drugged."

Two pairs of eyes are instantly turned to him, and Jimmy pulls out the EEG report that he managed to put into his pocket before leaving the hospital. The other two men look at it quizzically and Jimmy shows them what he'd found.

"These are alpha waves and are common in a comatose patient. These," he points at a separate pattern, "are delta waves."

Tim looks up from the paper. "I take it that delta waves aren't common in a comatose patient?"

"Not as high as those are spiking. I'd almost bet that he's being given some sort of neural inhibitor that's preventing him from waking up."

Tim inhales at that implication. He and Tony exchange glances and Jimmy looks at the agents, both of whom have gone pale. Both pull out their phones and call Ziva and Abby asking the two women to meet them at Tim's apartment. Jimmy sips at his coffee wondering just what Team McGee is going to do.

When the women arrive, Tim explains what Jimmy found in regards to Gibbs' EEG.

"What do you want us to do Tim?" Ziva is calm as she asks the question. Tim flashes her a quick smile and quickly outlines his plan.

"Jimmy, can you and Abby get a list of all doctors and nurses that have come into contact with Gibbs since this started? Start running the names through all your databases Abby, especially AFIS and Interpol."

"Tony, you and Ziva find Franks and see if he can tell you anything about previous cases that he and Gibbs might have worked. I'm going to go talk to Vance and see if he can give us any other insight."

Tony stares at Tim for a few seconds after the others have dispersed. Tim shifts then asks, "What is it, Tony?"

"Nothing, just glad that you're starting to feel more comfortable in those shoes that Vance demanded you fill."

Tim sighs as he admits, "I still don't like it, but as long as I have you in my corner I can deal with it, Tony. Without you and the others I'd have fallen apart a long time ago."

"That's what team mates are here for. We come together as a team…or so a wise Probie-wan Kenobi told me a few years ago, when Gibbs disappeared for over four months. Don't worry, Tim, we've got your back man."

Tony leaves and Tim heaves another sigh as he anticipates talking to Director Vance about this newest development. It had been bad enough to find out that Agent Fornell and his former wife Diane had been framed by yet another of Gibbs' ex-wives. To now have someone able to keep Gibbs in a coma and have it undetected by the other doctors and nurses is extremely worrying. Tim shrugs into his coat and leaves his apartment heading for NCIS.


	8. Chapter 7: So Close

"Dear Jethro, I do hope you like this chapter." Ducky settled in his easy chair. "I'm sorry it's taken a little bit to get here, Timothy has been rather busy getting to the bottom of your case."

Nothing.

Ducky sighed. "Well, now, shall I begin?"

**Chapter 7: So Close**

Terence McGregor stood in the hospital room, watching his still comatose boss, and friend. Months it had already been, since that horrible tragedy that has left Tibbs in this condition. Doctors had been hopeful for a while, but now they have resigned themselves to the fact that Special Agent L.J. Tibbs will probably never wake up.

But not Team Tibbs, (or team McGregor for that matter) they've never given up hope that soon, their boss would be returned to them. And their hopes were somewhat answered the night Pimmy Jalmer noticed an anomaly in Tibbs' EEG.

"There are delta frequencies along with the alpha frequencies." Pimmy had informed Team McGregor that late night. "Alpha frequencies are normal for comatose patients."

"But delta are not, are they?" McGregor clarified, and Pimmy nodded.

"My best bet, is that he's been given neural inhibitors." He informed them.

After doling out responsibilities such as getting lists of every employee in the hospital, and contacting Tank to speak about any previous cases, Tommy and Terence were left to share a friendly moment in Ter's apartment.

"I'm glad that you're feeling more comfortable in this position, McGregor." Tommy told him.

"Thanks, Tommy." McGregor grinned, the exhaustion evident in his drooping eyes. "But without you guys, I would have gone crazy a long time ago."

So now, Terence stood in front of Tibbs, almost willing him to just wake up.

"Tibbs, I don't know if you can hear me." Terence said softly as he sat down in the chair previously occupied by Plucky. "But I know you're in there, and we...We need you to come out. We need you to stop being scared, or hurt, or whatever it is you're feeling, and just come out."

Terence looked down at his hands, "We're close, Tibbs, we're so close." He continued, clamping his hands together tightly. "We're so close, and now all we need is you to wake up.

"Amy misses you, Plucky misses you, Tommy, Lisa, Pimmy and I...We all miss you and need you back."

Terence settled back into the chair and shut his eyes, intending on only getting some rest. He woke up the next morning around nine AM with a crick in his neck and drool running down his chin. Not to mention a very amused Tommy.

"Tired, Ter?" He asked, teasing gently.

Terence grinned at him as he stretched. "Just a lil' bit."

He moaned as he felt his joints pop and creak. "Did you all find anything?"

"Tank is going through a bunch of old files." Tommy told him. "Amy is working on the list of hospital employees."

"Do we even have anything to cross check the list with other than AFIS and Interpol?" McGregor asked, rubbing his eyes. "I mean, anything that could tie them to Tibbs?"

"Well, we're going to check any database we can, and see if they have a connection with Tibbs." Tommy shrugged as he pulled a hard back chair toward the bedside.

"Good, this is good." McGregor nodded. "Progress."

Suddenly, a nurse entered the room. She was all smiles as she administered Gibbs' medication. McGregor and Tommy didn't see the scowl she wore when her back was turned. Her name tag read Julie, and she was a fiery red head and was rather striking.

"Thank you, Julie." Tommy grinned at her as she left the room.

"You realize she's at least fifty?" McGregor said to Tommy as he stood up.

"Yeah, well, I'm thirty-nine and holding." Tommy shrugged. "And I like cougars."

McGregor just shook his head and they exited the room. They had just stepped out when McGregor's phone rang.

"McGregor." He answered.

"Terry, Julie Gordon." Amy's excited voice told him. "Julie Gordon is a nurse at the hospital, she's Tibbs' ex-wife! She knew Tank and Lorebits!"

"Did you say Julie?" McGregor asked, looking up at Tommy.

They didn't see Ms. Gordon, who had overheard the conversation, quietly sneak towards the stairs. They didn't see her quietly leave the hospital, and they didn't see her not so quietly leave the parking lot in her dark SUV.

But they did see that she was nowhere to be found.

"Right there, she was right there!" McGregor fumed as he angrily threw his phone on his desk, and his gun in his drawer. "And we let her get away."

"We didn't let her, Ter." Tommy told him. "She just did."

"Either way," McGregor stated, "she's gone, and we have nothing."

"Nothing?" Tommy repeated. "We have a possible suspect, Ter, and that's more than we've had in months."

When McGregor didn't respond, Tommy turned and sat down at his desk.

"I'll check the BOLO." He told McGregor.

Terence only nodded as he sat down at his own desk. Lisa entered the bullpen, then, carrying three coffees.

"I figured we could use these." She said softly in her sultry accent.

"Thanks, Lisa." McGregor smiled at her as he took the coffee from her.

They all sat in silence for a few moments before Tommy spoke up,"Hey, Ter, we have a hit on the BOLO." He stated excitedly. "A local LEO spotted her in a coffee shop on M street..."

"How long ago?" McGregor asked him.

"Uhm, 2034 hours. " Tommy answered. "So twenty minutes ago."

"Come on," McGregor announced, "let's roll."


	9. Chapter 8: To Live or Die

Comatose: The Continuing Adventures of LJ Tibbs

So to avoid a bit of confusion…this chapter steps back just a bit…from the time that Tim leaves his apartment in chapter 6…it will then pick up mid-story where chapter 7 left off…

**Chapter 8: To Live or…**

_Tim heads up the stairs to Vance's office and quietly nods to the Director's secretary who ushers him inside. Tim waits patiently for Leon to finish his conversation before relaying the information they've just received._

"_What's the team doing about it?"_

"_I have Ziva and Tony looking for Mike Franks. Those three are going to go through Gibbs past and see what might have triggered this attack. We know that the EEG is being tampered with so I have Jimmy and Abby looking at current hospital employees and running them through AFIS and Interpol fingerprint recognition programs. Since all employees at Bethesda have to submit to a ten card profile these days it's possible that one of the new doctors and/or nurses is responsible for drugging Gibbs. The problem is that until we find the person responsible we don't know how long Gibbs has been given this particular drug. Jimmy, Dr. Palmer, says that if it's been longer than the last three months, we might never be able to wake Gibbs up."_

_Vance nods and looks at Tim seeing the slight tinge of fear in the young agent's green eyes. "You got plans for tonight?"_

"_My plans went awry when Jimmy came over with his findings."_

_Vance steps out from behind his desk and puts a hand on Tim's shoulder. "Then go relieve Dr. Mallard. He needs to get a break from spending so much time with Gibbs and you've got a damn good reason to be there. Have the doctor report to me when he gets back here."_

"_Yes, Director."_

NCIS-NCIS-NCIS

As Tim walks down the hallway towards Gibbs room, he can tell that security has been tightened in the past 48 hours. He's been asked for his i.d. so many times that he can almost feel a Gibbs-like impatience overwhelming him.

Rather than resort to the head slaps which would more than likely get Tim thrown in jail, he taps down on the emotion and silently slips into Gibbs room. Once again, Ducky Mallard is there and once again he's sleeping. Tim smiles at the M.E. as he slumbers; the older man's glasses have slipped down his nose and are slightly askew, as if he'd reached up to scratch the side of his nose in his sleep and knocked the glasses to the side.

Tim lightly touches Ducky's shoulder and the M.E. blinks as he yawns.

"Ohh forgive me dear boy. I didn't mean to nod off like that."

"It's okay Ducky. I thought that since I was here I'd tell Boss what we've found and maybe discuss the final chapters of the novel with him."

"Do I get a sneak peek, Timothy?"

Tim smiles at the older man's enthusiasm, even as he's shaking his head. "Sorry Ducky, but this one is between the two of us for the time being. I would like you to look it over later though…if you wouldn't mind?"

"I would be delighted Timothy. As Jethro always says, "My door is always open.""

Ducky pats his young friend on the head and Tim watches as Ducky gently checks Gibbs pulse and the new EEG machine one last time. Ducky gives a negative shake of his head when Tim gives him an inquiring look and both men sigh wondering if the man in the bed will ever waken. Ducky straightens his fedora and trench coat before opening the door. As he does so he hears Tim speaking to Gibbs.

"Boss, I don't know if you can hear me, but I'm down to the wire with my deadline. I have to know what to put in."

Ducky quietly closes the door behind him. As much as he'd like to eavesdrop, that has never been the Scotsman's style. Instead he leans against the closed door, and says a quick prayer to the one person he knows might be able to help.

"Mother, I know that you loved Jethro, your Matthew while you were here on Earth. Well he needs your help now. Can you please go find his family? He is trapped by something we don't know how to combat and I think that Shannon and Kelly might be the answer. Can you do that one request; if not for me then for Matthew's sake?"

Tim sighs and pulls his laptop out of its case. Putting it on the table he steps over to the bed and straightens the covers. "I really wish you'd wake up Boss. It's hard to imagine missing something as drastic as a head-smack but I think we all do. And I'm almost certain to earn one with the next chapter. I hope you forgive me some day but I called your dad and asked him for well…you'll find out if you ever wake up."

He pulls out the spare battery and charger for the laptop and plugs them in, just in case he needs to change the battery mid story. He looks over at the bed and seeing no immediate response pulls up the file containing his latest chapter. He pulls a bottle of water out of his pocket and sets it on the table then clears his throat.

**Chapter eight: To Live or Die (dedicated to the memory of Amelia Gibbs)**

LJ Tibbs sat in the corner of his room waiting for someone to tell him it was time. Time to move forward; time to move back; time to live or time to die. He just wanted someone to tell him what time it was.

"That my son depends on if you want to live or to die."

"Mom?"

LJ hasn't seen his mother except in his dreams. Susan Tibbs had passed away while LJ was still a boy, barely into his teens. LJ has never forgotten her beauty or the smile she always had readily available.

"It wasn't always like that LJ."

LJ is confused. What could his mother mean? In his eyes, she'd been nothing less than perfect, and he'd defy anyone to tell him otherwise.

"LJ…that's not fair. No one is perfect and I'm a good example of that."

"Dad…he said that things weren't always what they seemed. That there were things I was unaware of."

Susan Tibbs leads LJ over to a couch and sits down. LJ sits down beside her, almost ashamed of the need to touch her again after all these years. For her own part, Susan Tibbs has no such inhibitions. She runs a hand over LJ's face and he leans into the touch.

"I have missed you LJ. You have no idea how much I missed you."

LJ grabs her hand and she looks at him knowing all too well where he gets those piercing blue eyes. Those eyes are so similar to his father not to mention his grandfather Tibbs. Ice and steel are starting to coat those blue eyes however, and she taps him on the nose, making him blink.

"That's enough Leonard Jameson Tibbs. I haven't been able to touch you for almost 40 years; you will allow me another thirty seconds."

"Yes mother."

Susan grins and for the first time in decades LJ grins back at her. Cautiously he leans his head against her shoulder and Susan pats his head. She'd missed this aspect of their relationship the most; the bonding that the two of them had created usually by reading a book or Susan helping LJ with his homework, while her husband finished up his bookwork from the store.

Susan twines her hand in LJ's and finally tells him what happened on that day over 40 years ago.

"What do you remember LJ?"

"Going to church and then…dad taking you to the hospital. You never came home."

"We…your father and I had been to the doctor earlier that week. You may remember that I suffered from headaches? Well, when we went in the doctors found some tumors. They were malignant and I was scheduled for my first treatment the following week."

NCIS-NCIS-NCIS

Leroy Jethro Gibbs listens from afar as his youngest agent recites the worst time of his life. Amelia Gibbs had indeed been suffering from headaches that last summer. He just hadn't known, until now that his mother had actually had a brain tumor or that she hadn't had a chance to get treatment for it.

"We had no time in which to tell you."

Gibbs stares at the woman sitting beside him. Amelia Suzanne Gibbs is just as beautiful as he remembers her. There's a little grey in her hair, streaking it in small wings at her temples. Her eyes are the same soft blue-gray and her smile is just as warm and welcoming.

"Mom?"

"Hello Jethro."

"What…what are you doing here?"

Amelia smiles at her only son and reaches out to caress his cheek. Gibbs allows the touch wanting to remember if only for a moment the warmth that he'd missed for so long.

"It's time Leroy Jethro Gibbs. Time to go back to the light…time to go back to your friends and your family."

"I…" before he can say that he has no family, Shannon and Kelly are standing beside him. Shannon gives him one of her winning smiles and Kelly tugs at his hand.

"Daddy, that man out there, reading to you, he and Tony are the older brothers that I always wanted. Ziva and Abby, we could still be sisters."

Shannon nods her agreement and says, "You will find love again Gibbs. It might take another couple of years, but it will happen."

Gibbs stares helplessly as the three most important women in his life surround him, explaining to him why he needs to return to the world of the living.

It's the fourth woman however that finally propels him forward. This voice however isn't the nagging one that he might have expected. Instead it's a soft Scottish burr that gives him goose-bumps when she says,

"Jethro, Donald needs you. Won't you please go back and watch over my son for me? If anyone needs you and the friendship you provide it is he."

Gibbs turns and stares as Victoria Mallard steps forward. There is a peaceful serenity around the older woman and as she glides towards him he can see the beauty that she had been before age and disease had taken away her mind and memory.

NCIS-NCIS-NCIS

As Tibbs walks with the women, he barely notices that the golden path they're on becomes whiter until he's almost blinded by the brilliance. The women stop at a door and Mrs. Fowler presses a kiss to his cheek saying, "Thank you LJ for watching over Daniel and being his friend all these years."

Susan Tibbs lets her daughter in law and grand-daughter speak next. She knows that Tibbs needs this time to say goodbye. Tibbs and Marisa had been soul mates for many years and his soul was slowly healing from not just her loss but the loss of Shayla their only daughter.

Marisa and Shayla say their goodbyes, kissing Tibbs on the cheek before standing next to Mrs. Fowler. That is Susan's cue to say her final goodbye to her son.

"Take care of yourself and your new family. For they are your family LJ. Terence, Tommy, Lisa, Amy are as much your children as Shayla is. Not by blood but by word and deed. Daniel and Pimmy are family as well. Go with them my son. God bless you and the work that you do helping protect the families that you have."

Several more minutes pass and LJ Tibbs keeps walking towards the light. In the hospital room a newly replaced EEG machine shows signs of a brain slowly but surely coming out of a drugged state. Agent Terence McGregor presses the call button summoning the doctors and nurses, hoping against all hope that the fluttering he's seeing under Tibbs closed eyelids means that the man is finally coming out of his coma.

NCIS-NCIS-NCIS

Tim sighs as he starts to close his laptop. Setting the machine to one side, he stands up and stretches then stares as a familiar pair of bright blue eyes slowly starts opening. Tim steps closer and says in a low voice, "Boss? Are you awake?"

The eyes blink and Tim reaches for the call button summoning the night nurse. Just as he does so, a hand grabs his and Tim looks at the man who's been lying in the bed for the last six months.

"Mom said…good job Tim."


	10. Chapter 9: The End is in Sight

**_A/N: this chapter will see a lot of flipping back and forth between the NCIS team and the team in Gemcity's book (in italics). Yes, it was done deliberately._**

**Chapter 9: The End is in Sight**

McGee, Tony and Ziva were zoning in. She was in sight, and now they just needed to wait for the exact right time to move in.

"When do we go, McGee?" Ziva said softly into her cuff mic, the scope set steady on it's target.

"Not yet, Ziva." McGee told her as he weaved in and out of the crowd. "Not yet."

_Tommy DiNardo sat on the bench, a newspaper opened in front of his face. He peeked over the edge, looking around. McGregor was visible to the east, Lisa to the west. The target was in sight, and now they just waited. This was minimal loss. If they could pull this off without losing a single life, then it would be perfect._

But that's not always the case, is it?

"Joanne Marks!" McGee had his gun raised. "Hands raised where we can see them!"

Tony appeared behind Joanne, his gun raised as well.

"Don't make this difficult, Joanne." Tony stated. "Just do what we say, and no one gets hurt."

The rage was evident in Joanne as she looked between Tim and Tony, seething.

"He deserved it!" She yelled. "He should have died! He took everything from me! Everything!"

"Watch it, Marks!" McGee yelled as she started to reach inside her coat pocket. "Hands up!"

"He should have died." She repeated, quieter this time. Her hand was now inside her coat pocket.

"He should have died."

_Julie Gordon had her hand in her pocket at she continued her mantra._

_"He should have died. He should have died. He should have died."_

_"Julie, we don't want to hurt you." Tommy told her, though he knew it was a lie. He wanted to kill her. He wanted her to suffer just as Tibbs and company had. "Slowly raise your hands. Now."_

_The small group of people that had the guts to stick around were scattered throughout the area, most standing in the street watching with anticipation. Would the murderess surrender, or would she go out in a hail of bullets? Was she crazy enough to go against two cops, or is that what she wanted?_

_Suicide by cop?_

Joanne Marks. Former wife to Leroy Jethro Gibbs.

Red-head. And crazed, psychopath who just pulled a .22 from her pocket in front of two federal agents with their guns trained on her.

Suicide by cop was her obvious intention.

"Don't make us, Joanne." McGee told her. "You'll get six bullets in your chest if you don't very slowly put that gun down."

Again, she said, "He should have died."

And she fired.

_Six bullets penetrated Julie Gordon's torso, ripping through her organs and killing her instantaneously. She was dead._

_Finally, after six months of not knowing._  
_Of searching._  
_Of investigating._  
_Tibbs' attacker was finally caught, and killed. It felt surreal, almost. Their lives had been completely and totally turned upside down by this one woman, and now she was dead. Everything would go back to normal, now, right?_

_Tibbs was slowly regaining function. He would sleep at normal times, and be awake at normal times. He responded to visual, auditory and painful stimulation. He spoke a few words every now and then, but he was nowhere near completely healed. But soon, he will be._

_Soon, Team Tibbs would be up and running, full force and their lives could be normal again._

_Later that very same night, McGregor found himself in Plucky's autopsy room. The cold chamber that contained Julie Gordon was in front of him. He was merely staring at it, not attempting to do anything but that._

_"Terence?"_

_McGregor looked up, seeing Plucky walking toward him slowly._

_"Terence, I dare say, you look rather tired." He stated, coming up next to him. "Understandable though, given the circumstances. Why aren't you at home, sleeping?"_

_"It feels too easy, Plucky." Terence nearly whispered. "It almost feels like more should have happened."_

_"I'm not quite sure I follow."_

_"I don't know." Terence shrugged. "I just feel like she should have suffered more..."_

_He paused,"does that make me a bad person?"_

_"Quite the contrary, dear Terence." Plucky informed him. "It's only normal to want someone that has hurt a loved one to feel the same pain."_

_"Her motive was jealousy." McGregor stated, shaking his head._

_"Envy can turn even the kindest person evil." Plucky nodded._

_"Maybe that's why I feel this way." Terence mused. "I mean, she has no previous offenses, and according to statements of friends and family, she was a nice, honest and kind person...Before."_

_"I understand your worry, Terence." Plucky placed a hand on Ter's shoulder. "But you are too good a man to let anything as petty as envy bring you down."_

_Terence sighed and turned to the elderly M.E, "Thanks, Plucky."_

_"Anytime, Terence."_

Tony and Tim were lying in Gibbs' hospital room, both snoring loudly as they shared the small couch, neither opting for the uncomfortable straight backed chairs. Ducky had occupied the easy chair the night before, but the two former men were already asleep by the time the latter had left.

So there they were, snuggled underneath a blanket, Tim laying almost diagonal across the couch, his feet hanging off the side, and Tony laying with his head against Tim's arm, his own arm draped across Tim's knees. Needless to say, they looked rather humorous.

Tim awoke at the sound of soft laughing. He looked up at the man in the bed, and grinned at seeing him awake, and coherent enough to laugh. "Boss." He attempted to get Tony off of him without waking him, and standing up, but as he tried to stand, the blanket got wrapped around his foot, sending him tumbling forward. Bringing Tony with him.

"MuhGee-ee!" Tony whined tiredly. "What is your problem?"

Tim ignored him as he scrambled to his feet and advanced to his Boss' bedside.

"Hey, Boss." Tim greeted on exhale, out of breath from his little episode.

"Thanks for that, I needed a laugh." Gibbs told him with a grin.

"Ha, no problem." Tim laughed.

Tony came up and stood next to Tim,"hey there, Boss, what's going on? How's the head?"

"Mending, DiNozzo." Gibbs stated. "It's mending."

"That's good, we need ya back at NCIS." Tony stated, grinning. "This guy here is doing a terrible job." He jabbed his thumb in Tim's direction.

Months ago, that sort of comment would have been made spitefully and would have intended to hurt Tim. But not now. Now, his gentle tease was just that. Teasing. A light joke, meant for a laugh, and Tim knew that. He punched Tony on the arm, "thanks a lot, Man." He grinned. "I uh, needed that ego boost."

Gibbs watched them interact, realizing just how big an impact this whole thing has had on them. They were no longer bantering, arguing, or fighting, and in the past three days he'd been awake and coherent, he hadn't heard a single, bad 'McNickname'. (Any he had heard were playful or complimentary)

"What is it, Boss?" Tim asked, noticing Gibbs' faraway look in his eyes. "You okay?"

"Yeah, Tim, I'm fine." Gibbs replied. "Just glad to be back."


	11. Chapter 10: Epilogue

Comatose: Epilogue

_Terrence McGregor looks around the squad room of the RCMT. Three months have passed since Tibbs woke up. Three months of bringing the boss back up to speed on his attacker and the new changes that have occurred during Tibbs' coma. _

"_Like being in charge Terry?" Tibbs voice is gentle as he watches his young agent finish up his report._

"_Honestly, Tibbs, if I had my druthers, I'd ruther not do it for a while. You and Tommy make it look so easy. I was petrified the entire time that something was going to go wrong and I'd screw things up. Hell I did screw up in that we didn't go back to your crime scene for almost six months."_

"_Not your fault Terry. None of the other agents remembered either."_

_Terrence sighs again and Tibbs can tell that it will be a while before McGregor can forgive himself for that error, no matter that those other, more experienced agents hadn't remembered. McGregor was like that…he tended to blame himself more than he blamed those around him. Tibbs smacks him lightly on the head and McGregor smiles. _

"_Thanks boss; did we tell you welcome back yet?" _

_The two men walk out of the squad room shutting the lights out behind them_.

####

Vance's office: two days before Gibbs takes over once again as Lead Agent of the MCRT.

The director smiles as Tim walks in with his report and motions for the younger man to sit down. He listens as Tim recites what they have planned for the next few weeks and nods his approval. Tim stands up and prepares to leave and Vance says,

"McGee…before you go…did you ever wonder why I put you in as Lead Agent instead of Agent DiNozzo?"

"More than once considering Tony's experience and not just as an agent or a cop but also as our team leader when Gibbs went to Mexico."

"Did DiNozzo or David either one back away when you were made team leader?"

"No, if anything we're almost as tight now as we were when Gibbs was shot."

"Actually, your team dynamic is even tighter. The three of you comprise the MCRT, but you and DiNozzo really pulled it together and made it work. I'm proud of all of you, but especially of you McGee. In the words of your favorite marine, "you pulled up your bootstraps and made it work."

"Thank you sir."

"Thank you McGee. Now go tell that lazy jarhead to get his head out of the clouds and his ass out of bed and get back to work."

Vance was smiling and Tim actually smiled back at him as he walked out the door.

###

Gibbs is sitting in a recliner watching Air Force One when there is a knocking on the door and Tim walks inside. Tim hands him a notebook and Gibbs takes it without looking at it. He knows that it's the original copy of Tim's newest novel.

"You did a good job Tim. I've read everyone's reports and you never once let me or our team down."

"I should still apologize though. I don't normally go behind your back."

"This is about my mother isn't it?"

"Yes sir. I…if it's any consolation I can tell Ms. Crawshaw that I can't publish this."

Gibbs puts the notebook on the side table and turns to look Tim in the eye. "If you do that, I will head slap you into next year. Did you hear me when I first woke up?"

"I…you said that your mother said good job…I thought you were dreaming."

"Tim…this story…in the chapter you dedicated to her, you gave me back my mother. She's the one person I haven't dreamed of, haven't been able to dream about, in over thirty years. You did it beautifully in this story so don't let insecurity keep you from publishing this."

Tim blushes at the unfamiliar praise. Gibbs gives him a gentle headslap. Tim smiles and says, "Thanks Boss."

_Two months later: _

_Comatose: The Continuing Adventures of LJ Tibbs hit the stands today to an amazing sell out crowd. According to author Thom E. Gemcity, the dedication is "For all those we've lost over the years, be they family, friends or co-workers."_

_Proceeds from Mr. Gemcity's current novel will be going to the Amelia Gibbs Foundation for Unsung Heroes. The foundation was created by the late Mrs. Gibbs husband and son in an effort to raise brain tumor/cancer awareness. _

In other news…

A/N: Thus ends the story of Comatose. I really need to say thank you to my talented writing partner, McSpecialAgent Tim-Spence Reid. You were terrific to work with ^_^


End file.
